7/13/17

I never owned a Schwinn until I was in college. My first bike was a blue and white Huffy with training wheels. I imagine it was what was for sale at the base exchange. I did love that bike and still remember the time my dad took the training wheels off. I was terrified of falling, but he told me he'd hold onto the back of the bike to make sure that didn't happen. So off we went along the sidewalk (same sidewalk I'd run on to test my PF Flyers) only to discover my dad was not holding on at all. I was on my own. It was exciting. I rode my bike into the street doing circles in front of the house. My parents were proud and I'd discovered that sometimes you just have to take a chance.

Source: Jack and Jill, October 1964

When we moved to Hawaii the Navy shipped my bike with our household belongings. I can remember riding it through the military neighborhood to get down to the beach to watch the ships come in to Pearl Harbor. Eventually my folks bought me a larger bike and my mom used the Huffy. Actually, I think my next bike—which was green and white—was also a Huffy. When we moved back to the mainland Huffy #1 stayed in Hawaii; Huffy #2 came to California.

I didn't know that Schwinn had gone out of business. That's sad to hear. It seems Huffy hung onfor awhile until Walmart did them in. Geez I hate Walmart. I will not enter their store. I find better prices elsewhere with less damage done to local businesses.

The Schwinn Bicycle Company was founded by German-born mechanical engineer Ignaz Schwinn (1860–1945) in Chicago in 1895. It became the dominant manufacturer of American bicycles through most of the 20th century. After declaring bankruptcy in 1992, it has since been a sub-brand of Pacific Cycle, owned by the multi-national conglomerate, Dorel Industries. (SOURCE: Wikipedia)

And then Huffy:

By the mid 1990s, Huffy was in deep financial trouble. The U.S. Bicycle industry had consolidated, sharply reducing the number of channels for selling bikes. High-volume retailers had claimed three fourths of the U.S. market, gaining tremendous leverage over bicycle makers. Wal Mart in particular was pressuring Huffy: it ordered 900,000 bikes at one time, but insisted that Huffy lower its prices significantly. To remain a major player in the bicycle market, the Ohio company had little choice but to agree. Even with Huffy's other non-unionized manufacturing plants, it could not make a profit selling bicycles at the prices Wal Mart, its biggest customer, was willing to pay. After requesting and getting a pay cut for its unionized workforce in Ohio, Huffy returned to profitability for two years only to again crumple under the pricing pressure applied by Wal Mart. This forced Huffy to close its Celina, Ohio plant and lay off all 935 employees. Their other two factories in Missouri and Mississippi soon fell to the same fate for the same reason. Even after subcontracting production to China, where plant workers earned only 25 to 41 cents per hour, it remained unable to operate at a profit. (SOURCE: Wikipedia)

7/8/17

I ate a lot of cereal as a kid. I was partial to Cheerios, Sugar Smacks, Rice Krispies, and Sugar Pops. I was partial to sugar. It's a wonder I could function.

I do remember in the 50s being one of those kids who would see a cereal ad on tv and then beg my mom for it. My poor dad was always the one who ended up eating my experiments. I remember especially wanting a box of Jets. My dad said that one was the worst of all of them. I ate one bite and refused to eat the rest. The saying in our house was, "Give it to dad, he'll eat anything." My family didn't have money to waste so indeed, dad ate the crap.

This ad comes from a 1964 Jack and Jill magazine I found at an estate sale. I was long past Jack and Jill by the time this ad ran and I don't remember this cereal. But, I'm sure I'd have begged my mom for a box.

Click on image to see it larger.

Now watch the commercial and imagine how much parents wanted to kill the creators of this targeted propaganda.

And just for old time sake...

Mind you, I also fell for the PF Flyers ad that said you could fly if you wore them. I used to run down the sidewalk, which went slightly downhill, picking up speed as I went, only to take a leap right before the final curb and the street. I was convinced I would eventually fly. I never did. I always stopped short of the street. However, the neighbors must have wondered about this kid running down the sidewalk full tilt only to take a little leap, land, turn around and walk back up the sidewalk only to do it again and again. So I'm pretty sure I was convinced Jets would have enable me to break the boundaries of gravity.

6/19/16

A little piece of paper can be far more important than originally thought. Someone's life might be ruined by what is written on the paper. A piece of evidence in a murder case? Believe me, it's possible. A small scrap can send detectives on what could be a wild chase in hopes of a final resolution; or it can lead to a dead end. I've seen it happen.

I recently bought this book at the Goodwill and it wasn't until I was home that I found the portion of the old boarding pass inside. I have deleted the first name of the person who took the flight. I'm sure it was just a simple flight from Atlanta to San Diego, but my mind immediately ran in all directions with all the wonderful story possibilities. I'm sure you can come up with your own so I will leave it at that.

1/9/16

So, how do you take the medicine if you don't have a mouth? Isn't it odd? What would possess the folks who put this pamphlet together to leave off this young ladies mouth?

"Blanche is seventeen. She used to complain of pains in her head and back…"

How do they know this? The poor thing couldn't speak! She doesn't have a mouth!

But really, that's not the most interesting thing to me. I'm fascinated to use Google Maps to look up the neighborhoods where the letters came from. It's interesting to imagine the people long ago writing these letters and then being thrilled when they found them used in promotional material. How thrilled there daughters were is a whole other story.

In some cases there is no there there anymore. Only one address actually aligns with a real house. You can't go home again especially if it's not your home.___________

SEARCH TATTERED AND LOST

Tattered and Lost: FORGOTTEN DOLLS

A journey via vintage snapshots through the world of dolls and their owners from the early part of the 20th century to the 1960s. This is volume 7 in the Tattered and Lost Vernacular Photography series.

BUCKAROOS AND BUCKARETTES

Tattered and Lost: Buckaroos and Buckarettes is a collection of vintage snapshots for those who remember riding the range when they were kids. These adventures usually consisted of sitting in front of a black and white television or running around the neighborhood with our shiny six-guns strapped to our sides. Our imaginations created entire worlds that never existed. We sang along with our heroes, convinced that with a song in our heart and a six-gun on our hip we could vanquish evil. This book is dedicated to all the other buckaroos and buckarettes who rode their imaginations into the sunset while humming Happy Trails.

CAKES, PICNICS, AND WATERMELON

Collecting vintage photographs starts out innocent enough with a few snapshots here and there, but at some point it becomes a bit more obsessive and you find yourself longing for the next image that makes you laugh or ponder the irrefutable confusion of being human. This book, Tattered and Lost: Cakes, Picnics, and Watermelon, the fourth in a series, shows the quirky world of sharing food from the 1890s to the 1970s in the United States. Sit back and enjoy watching people cut cakes (some people do it with such style!), go on picnics without your relatives, and watch people eat watermelon. Yes, eat watermelon. An odd category for sure, but one sure to make you smile.

Vernacular Photographs

Tattered and Lost: Vernacular Photographs, is volume 1 in my self-published books showing photos from my collection. Photographs play off each other on facing pages asking the viewer to come to their own conclusion as to what they are looking at. Included is a photo of the Pennsylvania Railroad S1 steam locomotive, designed by Raymond Loewy, on display at the 1939 New York World’s Fair. And one of the few known copies of a photo taken by Rudolph D’Heureuse in 1863 proving there were indeed camels used by the U. S. Cavalry is included. So take a step back in time and visit with some folks who long ago smiled and said “cheese” never knowing how long those smiles would last.

TELLING STORIES

In need of writing prompts? Looking for a gift for a friend who loves vintage photographs? Tattered and Lost: Telling Stories is now available from CreateSpace and Amazon. Click on the image to find out more!

CHILDHOOD

A new and expanded edition of Tattered and Lost: Childhood. Available at CreateSpace and Amazon. Better price, more pages, larger trim size. Click on the image to read more about it.

My other tattered sites

Tattered and Lost Too

BOOKS FOR THOSE WHO LOVE EPHEMERA AND VERNACULAR PHOTOGRAPHY

WHAT IS TATTERED AND LOST EPHEMERA?

Tattered and Lost EPHEMERA is about some of the items in my collection including: letters, postcards, valentines, menus, recipe books, children's books, magazines, greeting cards, paper dolls, vernacular / found photos, and whatever odd things I find stuck in the nooks and crannies of this house.

This site is affiliated with Tattered and Lost PHOTOGRAPHS.

So much paper, so little space.

About Tattered and Lost

Photographs of the ordinary by the ordinary.
All photos are from my private collection. They may NOT be used in any manner without my permission. I retain all copyrights for everything published on this site unless specified as belonging to someone else.